The Walt Disney Company has always been ahead of the game. After acquiring several companies like Marvel, ESPN, Miramax, and ABC, the Walt Disney Company expands as the king of family entertainment and branded content.
Now, Disney is embracing the
social media phenomenon. Disney confirmed in a press release today, official plans to buy the
social gaming company
Playdom, Inc., in a deal worth approximately $763.2 million.
Playdom has established itself as a leader in the world of
social gaming. With a company value of around $345 million, Playdom leads the market in terms of integrating popular games for
social media sites. Games like
Social City, Sorority Life, Market Street, and
Bola have allowed Playdom to engage with approximately 42 million active players each month, according to
Disney’s press release.
Robert A. Iger, President and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, made a statement in the press release:
We see strong growth potential in bringing together Playdom’s talented team and capabilities with our great creative properties, people, and world-renowned brands like Disney, ABC, ESPN, and Marvel.
Insider Network researches the
social media and gaming industry. They released a statement claiming the sales of virtual goods in
social games are expected to reach $835 million this year.
Facebook even makes a significant portion of their revenue from their social gaming platform. By accessing certain applications, Facebook users are granted virtual gifts and currency. A Facebook user can buy virtual goods including anything from poker chips to virtual outfits for characters.
Facebook’s social gaming platform is rumored to generate $500 million in pure revenue.
As Disney
joins the social media revolution, it is certain that other companies will soon follow suit if they haven’t already. Successful companies all over are already enhancing their global reach with social gaming software tools and
social media sites.